Nairobi, Jun 1 (AP): Hundreds of youths in Kenya's central town of Nanyuki on Monday demonstrated against the establishment at the Laikipia Air Base of an Ebola quarantine centre for American citizens exposed to the virus.
The protests come two days after Kenya's High Court suspended the establishment of the facility and the arrival of any foreign patients pending the hearing of a case filed by the Law Society of Kenya and a constitutional watchdog.
The two organisations cited Kenya's fragile health system as the reason why foreign Ebola patients should not be quarantined in the country.
US officials said Thursday that the United States was planning to send Americans exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them home.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's plans. They said the facility would be at Laikipia Air Base and would be operational with 50 quarantine beds by Friday.
On Monday, hundreds of youths marched to the gates of the air base, chanting anti-Ebola slogans.
Health Minister Aden Duale on Sunday said the quarantine centre was for "everyone" and not exclusively for US nationals.
The US government intends to commit USD 13.5 million toward Kenya's Ebola preparedness efforts, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
(AP & PTI)
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
